Great Grilling for the Last Weekend of Summer

One can’t talk about the final weekend of summer in the Hamptons without talking about grilling. The East End is known for hosting some of the world’s most impressive events, and casual, small-scale at-home grilling ones are no exception. Whether you’re looking to upgrade for that last great grilling weekend of the season or are in search of a great gift to bring to a Labor Day Weekend barbecue, we’ve got you covered.

Deck-out your backyard and wow your guests with one of Bodum’s newest innovations, the FYRKAT Cone Grill. Offered in a slew of vibrant colors the eye-catching bi-level, funnel-shaped design allows you to grill meat and vegetables separately to ensure optimal heat while maintaining complete safety and stability. As an added bonus, the grill has the ability to convert into a battery-operated rotisserie.

Alternatively, the Cuisinart GrateLifter Charcoal Grill is designed with a novel cooking grate lifting system that allows you to add charcoal without having to touch the grate itself. Given that the main complaint about space-efficient grills is that charcoals burn out quickly, this is a huge plus. Other features include a family-sized, 240 square inch cooking surface, precision air-flow system for accurate temperature control, lid mounted temperature gauge, a robust table stand, and a durable porcelain enamel coated lid.

No matter what grill you opt for, you can add depth of flavor with Lazzari Wood Chips. Available in Hickory, Mesquite, Apple, Alder or Cherry, just soak the chips in water and place them on top of the hot charcoal.

When you’re looking to get your meat and vegetables to the grill, the Hard Rock Sugar Maple board is sleek, sturdy, easy to clean, and comes discreetly branded with The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English logo. As for tools, one can always count on Sur La Table and to that end they now stock a Stainless Steel Barbeque Tool set from All-Clad, which comes elegantly packaged in a case with a slotted turner, locking tongs, a basting brush, and a meat fork.

For prepping your marinades and pastes it’s hard to top the convenience of Black & Decker’s new 8-Cup Food Processor. Its durable stainless steel chopping blade and slicing and shredding disk are designed to chop, slice, and puree in mere seconds and best of all, it’s dishwasher safe, allowing a quick cleanup. For pre-made options, forget syrup-based, sugar-laden supermarket ketchup and indulge your palette in Sir Kensington’s Gourmet Scoop Ketchup. A favorite of Food Network star Giada de Laurentis, the handcrafted sauce is made with vine-ripened tomatoes and is sweetened with all-natural sugars like agave nectar. And, while it’s sadly no healthier than your typical Hellman’s mayo, Santa Fe Gourmet’s Original Chipotle Mayonnaise’s mix of roasted chipotle puree, shallots, red bell peppers, garlic, and paprika certainly makes it more flavorful.

When it comes to variety for the discerning foodie, however, there’s little topping Stubb’s Legendary Bar-B-Q. The brand’s all-natural, gluten-free, and high fructose corn syrup-free Original, Spicy and Smokey Mesquite sauces are sure-fire hits and they make a slew of fantastic marinades for beef, pork, chicken, steak, and vegetables along with spice rubs in a variety of flavors.

Round things off at MacKenzie-Childs in Southampton (31 Main Street), a one-stop shop for all your tableware needs and at The Soft Serve Fruit Co. in Watermill (869 Montauk Highway), where you can load-up on pints or quarts of frozen treats. Soft serve fruit can also be used to make quick, easy, and healthy frozen summer cocktails – a cinch with Black & Decker’s 10-Speed Die Cast Blender, which boasts 10 varying speed settings and a pulse option.

Now fire up that grill and have a fantastic food-filled Labor Day Weekend here in the Hamptons—and let us know what time we should stop over for a bite!